


Dark as Ignorance

by planet_plantagenet



Category: Twelfth Night - Shakespeare
Genre: 20th Century, Canon Rewrite, Gen, Genderbending, Homophobia, Lesbian Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 10:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7614856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planet_plantagenet/pseuds/planet_plantagenet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I say, this house is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance were as dark as hell; and I say, there was never man thus abused.”</p>
<p>A reworking of the madhouse scene where Malvolio (or, rather, Malvolia) is female.</p>
<p>Set in the early-to-middle 20th century.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dark as Ignorance

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note: this isn't meant to be an attack on Christianity—I am not Christian, but I understand that not all Christians are homophobes. :)

The door shut with a loud thud, and the last thread of light from outside was cut off. The darkness surrounded me, almost seeming tangible. I let out a shaky breath, and even that quiet noise echoed around the stone chamber, reverberating off the rough walls.

Olivia. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that she was behind all this. After all, she had sent the letter in the first place. The one proclaiming her love to me.

Her love. I almost laughed. If she indeed loved me, she would never have shut me up in this hell hole.

But then again… she hadn’t directly been the one to order it. “Let this woman be looked to,” was all she’d said. No, Toby and Maria were to blame. I could’ve sworn I'd heard them chuckling under their breath as they shoved me into the room and locked the door. It wasn’t the first time they’d abused me such, using their higher status as a weapon.

Either way… Olivia had definitely not reacted to my smiles and my outfit in the way I expected. Perhaps she’d been surprised I’d actually received the letter. Maybe she was just feigning surprise. Whatever Olivia’s doing, the encounter had gone disastrously. Now I was trapped in this cold, dark, silent prison. And my legs were freezing, thanks to the goddamn cross-gartered stockings.

A sudden knock on the door. I started, turning towards the source of the noise.

“Who calls there?” I whispered.

“Sir Topas the curate,” replied a heavily accented voice from the other side of the door, “who comes to visit Malvolia the lunatic.”

Lunatic. I’d never thought I’d hear that word used to describe me.

“Or, perhaps I should say, Malvolia the homosexual,” continued Topas, opening the door just the tiniest crack.

Oh dear god. I knew someone would inevitably bring that up. “Sir Topas,” I replied desperately, “please, Sir Topas, go to my lady.”

“Your lady!” I heard a laugh. “Do you talk of nothing but ladies, Malvolia? The devil certainly has ensnared you. Remember Leviticus… homosexuality is a sin.”

“I don’t give a shit!” I yelled. “I am not the one to blame! Blame Maria and Toby! They’ve shut me up in this hideous darkness!”

A pause. “Darkness? It’s quite bright in there, you know.”

“What the—" I squinted through the door’s crack, making out a figure with a bushy beard and a hat. Topas, apparently. “This room is dark as hell!”

“There is no darkness but ignorance,” sang Topas in an infuriatingly serene voice. “And you, Malvolia, are most certainly ignorant of the finer points of religion. You know, of course, that the Bible clearly states—"

“Shut the hell up about your damned Bible!” I cried. “I literally do not care! I just want…” My throat tightened; I choked on the words. “I just want Olivia to love me back. Is that too much to ask?”

I could hear Topas tut-tutting behind the door, smiling sadly. “Oh, my dear Malvolia. You know that is not possible. Olivia would never stoop so low as to fall for a woman; you know that. I never could’ve imagined you would either, until this… incident."

“It’s not a sin to be a lesbian,” I hissed.

Topas spread his hands. “Ah well, I suppose it is your choice, if you wish to lead a life of homosexuality. Just know that the Lord is merciful, and will forgive you if you repent.”

“Sir Topas!” I yelled, but he was gone.

I heard laughing outside, felt my eyes sting with tears.

A sudden whisper from behind the door. “Malvolia."

“Fool?” The voice sounded like Feste’s. But… why would he visit me? I’d been branded a sinner, a homosexual, a lunatic. Not someone you want to be associated with.

“Quick.” There was an urgency in Feste’s voice that I had never heard before. “Maria and Toby are gone… off laughing about how you’re a perverse dyke, or something along those lines.”

I wasn’t surprised. “What do you want with me, fool?”

“To help you.”

My eyebrows went up; I inched closer to the door. “You—what?”

“First,” Feste said, “I’d like to apologize.”

“Wait—for what?”

“For that trick with Sir Topas. That was me.”

The confusion I’d felt was quickly replaced by a rush of anger. “Feste, you little son of a—"

“Hear me out. Toby and Maria put me up to it; I swear I’d never abuse you like that.” His face was sheepish. “I… uh… had to thoroughly convince them that I would go along with their trick.”

Trick! Homophobic abuse, more like. And to think I’d trusted him…. But right now, as much as it pained me to admit it, I needed all the help I could get. “Fine, fool. If you’re really on my side, help me out of this hell hole."

Feste’s voice was truly apologetic, and I felt a sudden pang of sympathy. “I’m sorry. I wish I could. But then they’d know it was me. And you know what Toby’s like when he’s mad.”

I did, all too well. “Well, at least do something for me! Bring me… pen and paper. And light. I’ll write Olivia a note, explain to her how I’ve been wronged.”

“Of course.” He nodded, turned to leave—then stopped, looked back at me. “Malvolia. I happen to have an interesting theory about Olivia. Would you like to hear it?”

“Sure.”

“You must promise not to tell.”

The words piqued my curiosity. “I won’t,” I said quickly.

“All right.” I could see Feste grinning behind the door. “You know her… friend. Cesario."

“I do indeed,” I muttered.

“Well, the fact is…” Feste quickly glanced around, then leaned forward. “Cesario’s a girl.”

I started. “What?!”

“She’s a girl. Disguised as a boy. I don’t exactly know why, but I’ve been observing her closely, and it’s true.”

I could barely contain my excitement. “Does Olivia know?”

Feste shrugged. “I think not. But perhaps she does. Perhaps she, like you, is a woman who likes other women.” He winked at me.

I didn’t know what to say. Was it possible? Perhaps Olivia could indeed return my feelings. She had written the love letter, after all. There was no denying it had been written to me, in her own handwriting.

“Thanks, Feste,” I breathed.

I swear I saw Feste smirk—it wasn’t everyday I was so polite. “You’re welcome.”

“And… one more thing.”

He turned back to me. “Another! What is it?”

“Fetch me some actual trousers… these stockings are itchy as hell.”

“Will do.” He grinned again, and sauntered off, humming to himself. I watched him go, feeling a little bit warmer than before.


End file.
